Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Warner Bros. Discovery to License Canceled HBO Max Shows Like ‘Westworld’

    Warner Bros. Discovery to License Canceled HBO Max Shows Like ‘Westworld’

    HBO Max shocked fans everywhere when it canceled Westworld after four seasons. The series, thought to be one of HBO Max’s biggest series, was canceled in November. At the time, it was unclear exactly why the show was canned, especially as it was rumored not to be over budgetary reasons. However, it looks like Westworld – along with other canceled titles – will have a chance at a new life.

    It was revealed on Wednesday that Warner Bros. Discovery was seeking to license some of its canceled and pulled programming to third-party free ad-supported television channels. The move comes as HBO Max readies to remove titles like Westworld, The Nevers, Raised by Wolves, FBoy Island, Legendary and The Time Traveler’s Wife from the service.

    In a statement released to the press, Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy celebrated the possibility of getting their series in front of new audiences. “We are incredibly proud of ‘Westworld’ and the remarkable work of our cast and crew. We are excited to have the opportunity to welcome a whole new audience to our show.”

    Shows produced by Warner Bros. will be easier to license, while other projects like Gordita Chronicles and Love Life, which hail from Sony Pictures Television and Lionsgate Television, respectively, will prove to be a bit more complicated in the dealmaking process as those studios will have say over the negotiation process of any potential deals.

    Source: Variety.

  • Melissa McCarthy Headlining New Peacock Christmas Film

    Melissa McCarthy Headlining New Peacock Christmas Film

    Tis’ the season for Christmas movie announcements! According to an exclusive from Deadline, Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, The Heat) will star in a currently untitled Christmas-in-New York film that will be written by none other than Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral). Sam Boyd (Love Life, Tell Me Lies) will direct the film which will stream on Peacock.

    The currently untitled holiday hopeful is described as a fairy-tale comedy about a work-obsessed man who enlists help from a magical genie to help win his family back before Christmas. Sounds like a mixture of Enchanted and Aladdin with a dash of Elf in there, with the similarity of the Walter Hobbs-esque workaholic father. Since the film is just in early development now, we can expect this film to be released probably in time for Christmas 2023. There is no word yet on who McCarthy will play in the movie.

    McCarthy has most recently been featured on television, right back where she got her breakout role as Sookie St. James in Gilmore Girls. Over the last couple of years, McCarthy has starred in Hulu’s drama, Nine Perfect Strangers before re-teaming with her husband, Ben Falcone in the Netflix comedy, God’s Favorite Idiot. She’ll next be seen as the despicable villainess sea monster, Ursula in the live-action take of The Little Mermaid in 2023. She just wrapped filming, Unfrosted, Jerry Seinfeld‘s directorial debut which follows the real-life battle between Kellogg’s and Post to create the perfect breakfast cake, the Pop-Tart.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Avatar’ Producer Explains the Plan for the Franchise’s Many Sequels

    ‘Avatar’ Producer Explains the Plan for the Franchise’s Many Sequels

    James Cameron certainly understands how to toe the line between idealism and pragmatism when it comes to his Avatar franchise. Though the director says he has enough ideas to build out a total of 7 Avatar films, he’s also willing to let audience response to Avatar: The Way of Water inform his decision on the future of the franchise. Early word on the sequel, which opens in theaters across the globe on December 16th, indicates it might be another Cameron classic, giving Cameron the boost he needs to move ahead with the franchise.

    Given Cameron’s undeniable success as a director (the man has directed two of the top 3 highest-grossing films of all time in Avatar and Titanic), his patience and humility in regards to the Avatar franchise is noteworthy. As Cameron noted, the key to moving forward with the franchise is figuring out if fans “give a shit” about what’s next. In an interview with i09, Avatar producer Jon Landau detailed how he and Cameron hope to keep audiences engaged long enough to tell what could be a 7-film long-form story. Unsurprisingly, part of that is simply sticking with what worked so well in 2009’s Avatar.

    I think right now we want each movie to do exactly what the first movie did. We want [audiences] to go, ‘Wow. Where else could they go? They just showed us everything on Pandora.’ Then you go, ‘Holy cow. They’re going to the oceans. Wow. The oceans are amazing.’ Okay, that’s over. Where can it go? Same thing from an emotional story. We end the movie [Avatar] with Jake and this transformation. But we’ve suffered the loss of Grace, and we’ve suffered other things. We want people to come out of this movie with an emotional resolution that both calls for a yearning to go back to those characters and to the world.

    Jon Landau

    Landau’s explanation goes a long way in understanding why he’s called each film in the series “standalone” despite them very much being part of a shared narrative. For Landau and Cameron, each film in the series needs to both wow and satisfy audiences and the subsequent films then need to find ways to up the ante while connecting to the audience’s love of what came before. As other long-standing franchises such as James Bond and Star Wars have proven, that’s not always easy. However, Avatar has one advantage that those franchises have not had and that’s the consistent presence of Cameron from film to film.

    Source: i09

  • Ben Affleck in Talks to Direct a DC Movie

    Ben Affleck in Talks to Direct a DC Movie

    Ben Affleck is back. The actor and director is said to be in talks to direct a movie for DC Studios. The news was revealed by Deadline on Wednesday evening following the news that James Gunn was penning a new Superman movie, which will not star Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel. Deadline reports that Affleck is currently in talks with Gunn and Peter Safran about potentially helming a future film.

    Unfortunately, it’s unknown what project Affleck is in talks to direct. While Superman is the first to officially be announced for DC Studios, it’s unknown if Superman will be the project Affleck will direct. More details regarding DC Studios’ future are expected to be revealed in January, however, Gunn and Safran are said to be meeting with various talent as they seek to firm up their plans.

    Affleck has had a rocky past with DC on the big screen. After appearing as Batman in Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, and Justice League (both cuts), the actor is next set to portray the caped crusader in next summer’s Flash. The actor was originally set to star in and direct a solo Batman film but eventually dropped off the project as the director before opting to leave the role as a whole shortly thereafter.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Henry Cavill Comments on ‘Superman’ News: “This News Isn’t The Easiest”

    Henry Cavill Comments on ‘Superman’ News: “This News Isn’t The Easiest”

    Following the news that DC Studios is developing a new Superman movie with James Gunn penning the script, Henry Cavill has taken to social media to comment on the matter. In an Instagram post shared late Wednesday evening, Cavill confirmed that he will not be returning as Superman, despite being given the okay to announce his return a month earlier.

    “I have just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and it’s sad news, everyone,” he wrote. “I will, after all, not be returning as Superman. After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes.”

    News that Cavill wouldn’t be returning as Superman first came courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter last week. Since then, the actor has been noticeably quiet, more than likely awaiting more information from the studio. Unfortunately, though, it simply wasn’t meant to be.

    The actor is said to have been given the option to re-join the DC Universe as a different character down the line. It is unknown, however, whether or not he’ll choose to do so as of this time.

    Source: Instagram.

  • James Gunn to Pen New ‘Superman’ Movie, Won’t Star Cavill

    James Gunn to Pen New ‘Superman’ Movie, Won’t Star Cavill

    Last week, reports suggested that Warner Bros. Discovery was no longer looking to make Man of Steel 2 with Henry Cavill returning as the Man of Steel. The news came just weeks after the actor excitedly announced his return as Superman on the big screen. Unfortunately, those reports appear to be true. James Gunn, who is now in charge of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran, recently tweeted out that Superman was a priority for DC Studios, but never fully addressed Cavill’s future as the character as plans were still being worked out. Now, it appears the decision has been made to cast a new actor in the role.

    The news was announced on Wednesday evening. The latest Superman film will focus on a younger Clark Kent, which led to the decision not to bring back Cavill. Both Gunn and Safran sat down with the actor recently to discuss their decision with him. While he won’t return as Superman anytime soon, they seemingly offered him a potential chance to return to the DC Universe on screen as a different character down the line.

    Source: THR.

  • James Gunn Quickly Debunks Battinson Rumors

    James Gunn Quickly Debunks Battinson Rumors

    James Gunn is nothing if not consistent. Much to the fear of online leakers and scoopers, Gunn never hesitates to correct misinformation about his projects. Now that he is co-chair of DC Studios, a lot of projects have become “his projects” as he now oversees what he hopes to build into a massive inter-connected cinematic universe.

    True to form, Gunn took to social media just hours after a report from Variety indicated that he and co-chair Peter Safran were considering making Robert Pattinson’s Batman and Matt Reeves‘ Gotham-verse part of that larger connected cinematic universe. Gunn wasted no time in dismissing the report, calling it “entirely untrue.”

    The debunk by Gunn comes as a bit of a relief as it means Reeves won’t have to compromise his vision of the character in order to fit other characters into his growing universe. It also means that as Gunn and Safran start the process of building a new DC Universe, presumably, from scratch, they’ll have a chance to bring creators in who won’t feel the need to match Reeves’ vision. It’s a win-win.

  • ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ Said to Have a $205 Million Budget

    ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ Said to Have a $205 Million Budget

    As DC Studios continues to set its plan for the future of DC across all media, more reports continue to surface about the studio’s future and the upcoming DC titles releasing before then. One of those projects is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The sequel to 2018’s Aquaman, is set to release next year and will see director James Wan return behind the camera. While the first film was a surprise hit for Warner Bros. and DC, earning over $1 billion at the box office, it looks like the sequel is having some issues behind the scenes.

    In a new report from Variety, it’s rumored that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will have a hefty price tag. The outlet revealed that, ahead of James Gunn and Peter Safran coming aboard DC Studios, Warner Bros. co-chief Pam Abdy had to tell Wan to reduce his budget for reshoots on the film as the movie’s budget has already expanded to over $205 million during production.

    Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is expected to be Jason Momoa‘s last turn as Aquaman. Previous reports suggested the actor might get to tackle the DC Comics character he has longed to portray, Lobo, but as of now, those reports have yet to be confirmed. More concrete details surrounding the future of DC Studios and the current DC films line-up are expected to be unveiled in the coming months.

    Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will hit movie theaters on Dec. 25th, 2023.

    Source: Variety.

  • Sam Worthington Teases Jake Sully’s Journey in ‘Avatar 2’

    Sam Worthington Teases Jake Sully’s Journey in ‘Avatar 2’

    Avatar: The Way of Water is just around the corner and we’re anxiously waiting for our chance to see what director James Cameron has in store for us. We’ll see the return of franchise stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, and more on the big screen, as we venture out into Pandora one more time (and many more trips already planned for the future).

    In the official press event for the Avatar sequel, Sam Worthington got a chance to tease the journey that Jake Sully will go on in Way of Water. The man gave up his humanity to live with the love of its life, Neytiri. Now that he has his newly found family, he’s going to have to face his biggest challenge yet: trying to keep them together.

    Well I think in the first one, you know, he says it in the voice over: “‘Open your eyes.” I think he’s opened his eyes to love, and the love of culture, the love of the planet and the love of Neytiri. I think in this one it’s the natural extension of that, they have a family, and it’s, to be honest, about the protection of that love and that world and that culture. I always saw it as the simplest form, you know, and his, his partner in crime is a very fiery person. He just tries to be the earth, and we just happen to have a lot of water.

    Sam Worthington

    Avatar has always been about love at its core, especially with its environmental message having a strong focus. Now that we’re moving away from the forest, we’re going to see how a new environment affects Jake and his family’s normal life. The trailers also tease that a new conflict is on the horizon, which means that his journey isn’t going to be an easy one.

  • DC Studios Reportedly Considering Battinson as THE Batman in Their New Shared Universe

    DC Studios Reportedly Considering Battinson as THE Batman in Their New Shared Universe

    As James Gunn and Peter Safran continue their transition into the newly incorporated DC Studios, rumors and reports of the inner workings of the new company are all the rave. Last week’s news of Wonder Woman 3 and Man of Steel 2 being on the chopping block is still reverberating throughout Hollywood and now a new report has popped up that might cause an even bigger stir. According to Variety, DC Studios is considering finding a way to tie Matt Reeves‘ The Batman into the new, larger universe they are looking to build.

    The Batman was a financial success for Warner Bros. Discovery in March 2022, raking in $770M, making it the fifth highest-grossing movie of the year despite releasing when audiences weren’t yet completely comfortable returning to theaters amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While not necessarily a critical darling, the film was generally well-received by critics and audiences gave it an A- Cinemascore. In the months since its release, a sequel and several spinoffs that look to build out Gotham have been announced. Under the previous regime, it seemed that Reeves’ Gotham-verse was going to be its own, standalone branch, so the news that Gunn and Safran might look to tie their new vision to it is interesting.

    Of course, as Gunn himself said recently, there are more questions than answers about the future of DC Studios at this point. The interest in tying into Reeves’ very successful The Batman is logical as it’s one of the only IPs greenlit under the old regime that seems safe moving forward. On the other hand, there’s the question of just how easily other heroes and other stories might tie into what Reeves has and continues to develop. Until official word comes from Gunn and Safran, we’re all left to debate amongst ourselves.

    Source: Variety